The present invention relates generally to the field of archery bows, and more particularly to a handheld archery bow with a substantially zero brace height.
A conventional handheld compound archery bow includes a riser coupled to top and bottom limbs and further includes top and bottom cams that each has an axle coupling it to the end of the respective limb. In order that an archer can hold the bow, a grip is located on the riser substantially at the midpoint between the axle of the top cam and the axle of the bottom cam. An arrow rest is typically located on the riser just above the top of the grip. To allow space for the archer""s hand and the fletching of an arrow and to facilitate reliable and accurate operation, the bowstring at rest is spaced from four to ten inches away from the valley of the grip located on its rear surface. This spacing between the bowstring at rest and the valley of the grip is referred to as the brace height of the archery bow. The power stroke of the archery bow is the difference between the draw length and the brace height. The longer the power stroke, the faster an arrow is released. The brace height has effectively imposed an insurmountable barrier to achieving a longer power stroke in prior art handheld compound archery bows. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved handheld compound archery bow with a substantially zero brace height, thereby maximizing the length of the power stroke and increasing the speed at which an arrow is launched.